Andhra Pradesh to introduce curriculum on cyber security

Hyderabad: The curriculum of schools, colleges and universities in the state will be altered to enhance cyber security awareness among students.

In universities, courses will be introduced in masters’ programme in cyber security and cyber forensics. Cyber police stations and cyber forensic labs will be established in all major cities of the state as a part of AP Cyber Security Policy 2016.

Officials have prepared a draft policy on cyber security and after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s green signal, the draft policy will be placed before the Cabinet for its approval. In the draft policy, the government said, “The spread of Internet and its indispensability bring along a wide range of risk to the information on which we rely, the risk of loss, damage and misuse of valuable information, which can be disastrous to individuals, business and governments”.

According to the draft policy, all government agencies implementing IT projects shall earmark 5 per cent of the annual IT budget towards compliance with the security requirements of the IT Act 2000, and utilise the same for meeting the cost associated with inter alia preparation and implementation of cyber security plans and information security management systems (ISMS).

The government will establish cyber security labs in all universities and in a few centres of excellence in different areas of cyber security.

About 20,000 cyber security professionals will be trained, among them 500 at masters’ level, 10,000 at the graduate level, 4,500 from among employees of the state government and 5,000 in the private sector.

For the strengthening of law enforcement agencies, all the police officers of the rank of sub-inspector and above shall be imparted training in cyber security. The law enforcement agencies will be permitted to retain the services of cyber security professionals in the private sector to assist and advise them in tackling organised crime and handling complex cases involving cyber forensics.

Police officers, well-trained in cyber security, shall be posted in the security establishments of the sectors categorised as critical information infrastructure.

The government will notify an appropriate policy of incentives and other facilitatory mechanisms for developing Andhra Pradesh as the preferred destination for the cyber security, industry and eventually to establish a globally reputed cyber security hub in the state.

The state government will establish the AP Computer Emergency Response Team (AP CERT) in tune with the national and international norms, as the state-level coordination point for providing cyber security information and advice to the citizens.